Re: HOWTO: lilypond-1.3.98 on windows32

[James Hammons]

> ... Can it be automated? ...

The short answer to this is yes:  Look at JBR's Windows install program.  A
well written installer would be able to reconcile paths, write batch files,
etc., but unfortunately I don't have access to one.

> Once you have cygwin installed, which should be real easy, we can
> provide simple lily-install and lily-upgrade scripts.  I'd
> hoped/expected  for someone with a windows box to have written and
> supplied these.  I haven't done that, mainly because I didn't have
> access to a windows box, and small mistakes will creep in.

Unfortunately, installation of Cygwin is not all that straightforward, and
you have absolutely *no* guarantee that anything will work how you expect it
to on a Unix system (rpm's for example).  There are at least four different
options for configuring the initial install, all of which seem to throw a
monkey wrench into the works.  In the meantime, however, I can test/correct
your scripts for efficacy if you'd like...

> Ok, now this is in now way fool-prove, but it should work for most
> people.  You'll get all cygnus stuff in /Cygwin, and lilyponds in
> /Cygwin/usr/lilypond-x.y.z/.  Why would that not work for you?

echo "Please add /Cygwin/usr/lilypond-1.3.$patchlevel/bin to your path"

Using this route you can't have multiple versions be usable at the same
time.  That's why I use a batch file which adds the path to a different
version of lily on the fly.  Other than that it's an OK setup (but certainly
not optimal--at least not on a Windows box IMO).

> > And I'm able to keep different versions alongside each other as
> > well using this setup, switching between them easily by executing the
> > appropriate batch file.
>
> Don't write batch files, use bash.

I think you misunderstood me.  I run lily from a DOS box, and use a batch
file to set up paths/environmental variables in order to use a certain
version of lilypond (this avoids the above mentioned problem).  Using a
batch file to actually *run* lilypond from Windows would be insane!

> What you'd like to do is fine, of course (even though I don't get
> it).  But it would be good to suggest and provide uniform + debuggable
> install method for the newbie.

Well, you might "get it" if you had to work & develop all day on one.  ;-)
I was going to volunteer to make a compact lilypond install for win32, but I
just don't have the time to support such a thing (I could always do as a
strictly advanced user, unsupported option).  So, go for uniformity if you
must.  I guess what it comes down to for me personally is that Unix on a
Unix box is beautiful but Unix grafted on to Windows is an ugly thing (I
certainly wouldn't trade the Slackware UMSDOS install that I have for
Cygwin!).  At least at present.  Don't get me wrong--I think being able to
use lily on a Windows box is great and the fact that you've been able to
make it work at all is nothing short of amazing!  But ease of use is
definitely *not* one of Cygwin's virtues (again, at present--it may change
in the future)...

> Well, yesterday was a bad day for me, and all the windows troubles
> taking so much time just depressed me more.  I would much more like it
> if you'd try to use my suggestions yourself, and help debug + document
> that.  We'll get bug reports/help requests anyway.

Sorry to hear about your bad day, and sorry if my bitching and moaning
contributed to that.  Anyway, for the sake of making things a bit easier
I'll give it a shot.  But I still think that giving advanced users the
option of installing without Cygwin is a good idea.  Just say that it's
unsupported and if they have troubles with it, install the way that you
suggest.

-- Shamus

I still don't care much for Cygwin, but I *love* that Cygwin1.dll!  ;-p